DiveMaven
Contributor
We've been on Maui for a few days and have done 3 charters thus far, 2 with ERDA and one with LD. On Sunday we were out with ERDA and the wind was up, making Molokini crater look like a washing machine on the rinse cycle! Our captain, Bird, headed around the side only to see another dive boat hanging out there. They spoke with eachother and the other captain remarked he had divers in the water, but once they were up, he'd be moving since the conditions were worsening. Bird didn't mess around and headed south to look for good conditions. We wound up down at Pinnacle Point and La Perouse Bay, both farther south than we've been able to dive before. Cool sites, quite a bit to see, and with the water being almost flat, great conditions.
Monday we headed to Lanai with LD. The ocean conditions were perfect....flat and a very easy ride to Lanai. We did First Cathedral and No Name, both being good if a little short on marine life and only 45 minute dives. Since the water is currently 74-75 degrees, I was okay with slightly shorter dives. The crew was good and Gwen, our guide, quickly understood we didn't need babysitting and left us to simply follow her at a distance.
Tuesday we were back with ERDA for a 3-tank charter, and although the water looked good at first, Molokini resembled that washing machine again. It's really weird to see NO boats in the crater! The backwall was much better and we had a fantastic dive, including seeing a Turberculosis Nudibranch (sp?)!! After the first dive, Captain Ken headed into the crater, but the conditions were still rough, with only LD's boat to be seen with divers in the water. We again headed south, this time even farther than Sunday to River Run and Golden Arches in lake-like water. The topography is absolutely stunning in both places, and you find yourself looking at the rock and lava formations as much as critters. We were treated to octopus at both sites as well as a lot of juvenile fish, and an endemic Bandit Angelfish.
Definitely enjoying our diving and hoping conditions soon improve so we can dive some of our favorite sites at Molokini as well as places like Red Hill.
Monday we headed to Lanai with LD. The ocean conditions were perfect....flat and a very easy ride to Lanai. We did First Cathedral and No Name, both being good if a little short on marine life and only 45 minute dives. Since the water is currently 74-75 degrees, I was okay with slightly shorter dives. The crew was good and Gwen, our guide, quickly understood we didn't need babysitting and left us to simply follow her at a distance.
Tuesday we were back with ERDA for a 3-tank charter, and although the water looked good at first, Molokini resembled that washing machine again. It's really weird to see NO boats in the crater! The backwall was much better and we had a fantastic dive, including seeing a Turberculosis Nudibranch (sp?)!! After the first dive, Captain Ken headed into the crater, but the conditions were still rough, with only LD's boat to be seen with divers in the water. We again headed south, this time even farther than Sunday to River Run and Golden Arches in lake-like water. The topography is absolutely stunning in both places, and you find yourself looking at the rock and lava formations as much as critters. We were treated to octopus at both sites as well as a lot of juvenile fish, and an endemic Bandit Angelfish.
Definitely enjoying our diving and hoping conditions soon improve so we can dive some of our favorite sites at Molokini as well as places like Red Hill.
